DOG LOVERS

FOR DOG LOVERS:

                                                                                    One of our new neighbors had kept a two year old pug-Chinese dog. Every morning and evening she would come ‘dressed up’ taking out her ‘Teddy’ for a walk. My Spitz (Ringo) was very envious on that new member in our colony. Once our Ringo starts barking we know Pug is out on the street. The young lady never talked to me but I was interested! Usually a new type of friendship develops in cities amongst dog lovers. From dog friendship human friendship flourishes. Some cases a young boy takes out their pet for a walk when he would meet a beautiful girl with her pet preferably a small one. There the boy meets girl story may start but rare in Hindi film dome lines because the script writers are not animal lovers.

                                                              We marked that Ringo was neither getting restless nor barking for a week. We thought madam with her Teddy might have gone to Delhi on vacation. Lastly I could not wait any longer and asked the security guard about that little Chinese dog. Rout babu the security guard said “sir, it is dead!”

I asked how. “May be food poisoning, I do not know. They have buried it inside their compound”. I felt sorry for my Ringo’s friend ‘Teddy’.

                                                                                    Keeping a dog is not an easy job. My father in-law a great dog lover used to say “never give a pup or a flower sampling free to any one, if he is not a genuine dog lover”. This pug is a delicate Chinese dog. Can’t tolerate heat, because of short neck, bones gets struck in its throat and are very susceptible to chest infections. Those who stay in apartment must remember that most people do not love dogs and cats hence they must think twice before keeping a pet. Our neighbor’s pet died due to extreme heat-she purchased an AC after the pet was gone. Friends do not keep a dog if you cannot spend an hour with it and your wife does not love dogs. Remember giving a bath to a dog is a tough job. A large sized dog means Rs: 3 to Rs5 thousand extra budgets plus air-conditioning charges per month! You have to develop patience, understand what the friend wants to say, they do not bark unnecessarily, and remember that. Chicken and fish bones can kill a dog. The dog food ‘pedigree’ is quite costly, if you can afford then purchase it or feed a vegetarian meal plus half liter of milk daily. Keeping a dog as a ‘watch dog’ is foolishness as per western standard. Keeping a dog tied to a chain 7/24 is animal cruelty-remember that. Insure your house not a dog for safety. Dogs are like faithful friends and children they understand your mood, even can tell if you are going to get hypoglycemia, epileptic fits or have a skin cancer very early. With children out of the country and your bedridden or dead wife, only a dog will greet you when you return from office or market with a wagging tail. They love its boss more than self, remember that.

Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy

(President Dog Lover’s Society Patia)